


an honest broker

by spookykingdomstarlight



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Chance Meetings, Gen, Pre-Mass Effect 2, Pre-Mass Effect: Andromeda, vague flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 01:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11369475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookykingdomstarlight/pseuds/spookykingdomstarlight
Summary: Once upon a time, there’d been only one rule on Omega: don’t fuck with Aria.





	an honest broker

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Reyes Vidal Appreciation Week](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/reyesvidalweek) over on tumblr for the [fic prompt](http://vorchagirl.tumblr.com/post/162265660741/reyes-vidal-appreciation-week-fanfiction-prompts): A White Lie or a Hard Truth.

“Well, well,” a voice said, low and dual-toned, turian by the sound of it, further adjusted by a helmet with a voice modulator installed. It caught Reyes by surprise, somehow both pleasant and menacing at the same time, and all in so few words to boot. That could only mean one thing.

Once upon a time, there’d been only one rule on Omega: don’t fuck with Aria.

These days, there was a corollary, a subclause, an extra, unspoken rule, if one will.

Don’t skulk around in Archangel’s territory.

Reyes turned, grinned, raised his hands in the near-universal gesture of surrender. Even turians knew what it meant, even if it grated. “Archangel,” he answered, inclining his head in acknowledgment. Cordiality was a weapon he’d honed to a sharp point long ago and he wasn’t above deploying it now. Respect was a key that unlocked many doors. He didn’t come here to cause trouble, not for Aria and not for Archangel anyway, though the chances of anyone believing that were slim. “What an unexpected honor this is.”

“Uh huh.” The turian adjusted his stance, one hip cocking, perhaps to better suggest an air of superiority, of confidence. His talons hung well within reach of the pistol strapped to his thigh. And if Reyes was a betting man—which he absolutely was—he’d have said there was an assault rifle to match somewhere on his shoulder. Maybe a shotgun against his lower back. The infamous Widow was nowhere in evidence and for that, Reyes was grateful. He wouldn’t have made for a particularly beautiful corpse if he’d gotten himself shot through the back of the head before having the chance to talk his way out of his predicament after all. As Reyes catalogued all the ways Archangel could try to end him, he kept talking. “Why don’t we skip the pleasantries and get right to the good stuff.”

Respect was clearly not the way to Archangel’s heart or mind.

“If you insist,” and Reyes didn’t leer. He _didn’t_. But, oh, how he wanted to. Just to see what would happen, what Archangel would do. True, Reyes couldn’t really say he was honored. Archangel was a pest and one that Reyes wanted to prod at and disarm. But he was _ecstatic_ all the same. To have Archangel here? _Now?_ It made a person bold. Or in Reyes’s case: bolder. Prod at boundaries, that was what Reyes did, at least when easier means failed. “Your place or mine?”

“I—uh.” Archangel shifted and turned his head and coughed. Of all the damned things he could do, he cleared his throat. Like he was embarrassed. Like Reyes had gotten to him. This was good. This was better than good. This was almost worth blowing his chance at fucking over the Blue Suns for about a hundred thousand credits if he played it the wrong way. And right now he wanted to. Just to find out how far he could push it. “Don’t think so.”

“Pity.” Reyes bit his lip. It was easy enough to make it seem like a pout, but really, he was just holding back a smile. Unnerving Archangel? Who’d have thought? “So what constitutes the ‘good stuff’ in this scenario then? Just so we’re clear.”

“Your name for a start.”

“Pirthe Val,” Reyes said quickly. The answer rolled off his tongue as easily as the truth would have. That was Reyes’s gift. One of them, anyway. He could make anything sound like the truth if he wanted it to. Likewise, he could speak the truth and leave behind a disbeliever.

Both skills were useful.

“Right,” Archangel answered, distrustful. From the sound of it, Reyes could easily imagine the plates above Archangel’s eyes lifting in disdain. “And what are you doing here, Val?”

“Nothing good, I can happily assure you of that.” That much was true. Whether that would be enough to distract Archangel from the real truth remained to be seen. Bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet, he smiled, beatific, angelic even. Just to add some confusion to the mix.

What little light beamed down from overhead cut through the dust that lingered in the air, grime from years of institution-wide disinterest displaced and swirling. It glinted dully off of Archangel’s helmet as he tilted his head, considering. “You and everyone else. _Nobody_ on Omega is here to do good,” he answered finally, his voice flatter than before, disapproving. “You want to try again?”

Taking a step forward, Reyes shrugged. He figured he was on solid ground when Archangel didn’t immediately point a weapon at him. “I could say the opposite. Would that help?” Archangel might even agree if Reyes was willing to tell him.

Not that he was willing, no.

“Why don’t you just be specific and let me decide?”

Reyes tapped his index finger against his chin and pursed his lips, thoughtful. “How often does that request work out for you, I wonder?”

“Not often,” Archangel admitted, dry as the wind-chapped planes of Noveria’s more inhospitable regions. “Though I usually prevail in the end.” His talons clacked against the metal casing of his armor. “Motivation isn’t so hard to come by when you’re faced with me. Or so I’ve heard.”

Reyes scoffed, couldn’t help it. The sound just forced its way out of his mouth of its own volition. “So full of yourself.” He tsked for good measure. “No wonder the Blue Suns hate you.”

“Don’t forget Blood Pack. And Eclipse. And Aria, sometimes.”

“You’re a turian of many talents, yes.” Reyes’s eyes dragged over the armor again. Just who was it under there? If only Reyes knew the right thing to say to find out. But he wasn’t entirely sure he knew the right thing to say to get out of this predicament unscathed either, so he didn’t push his luck. The truth or a lie, it didn’t matter when he couldn’t think of anything useful to say at all. “I admire that about you.”

Not a lie, not quite the truth.

Archangel shook his head. “You don’t know me.”

“No, but I know _of_ you, and that’s at least as good, yes?”

“No,” Archangel said. He might’ve muttered under his breath as well, but Reyes couldn’t pick up quite what he said. “Look. Get out of here, will you? You’re obviously not merc and I have a job to do.”

“Oh, obviously.” Reyes’s hand swept through the air, waving to indicate the long length of abandoned hallway around them. A leaky pipe in the ceiling dripped water or coolant or some other liquid onto the concrete floor in a regular and very annoying pattern. Rust stained the walls in parabolic shapes, orange against the dusty gray-brown surrounding it. If anyone had ever been here, they were long gone. Which was why Reyes had chosen this particular route through Omega’s lower levels. “So much to be done here.”

Archangel’s head tipped forward and Reyes got the very distinct impression that he was not impressed with Reyes in the slightest. “Just don’t let me catch you again, all right?”

“You won’t.” A lie, maybe. Or possibly the truth. Reyes couldn’t predict the future and he couldn’t say he wouldn’t love to meet the famous Archangel again. Perhaps once he’s completed his goal here. To see Archangel after that would be quite something, he felt.

Sauntering forward, intent to pass Archangel down the hall, he dared to clap him on the shoulder. The metal was cool beneath his fingertips, smooth. One day it would be scuffed and scored and worn. No doubt the merc gangs would come after him eventually. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “that armor suits you.”

And that wasn’t a lie at all.


End file.
